Mauricio Pochettino names the former Arsenal player he would love to have played against - but there's a twist

Paul Merson

Tottenham (opens in new tab) manager Mauricio Pochettino has joked that he would love to have played against Paul Merson so that he could kick him.

The former England international made 327 league appearances for Arsenal (opens in new tab) between 1985 and 1997.

He now works as a pundit for Sky Sports and claimed this week that Spurs are "in disarray" ahead of Sunday's north London derby.

And when asked which Arsenal player past or present he would have relished coming up against, Pochettino picked out the ex-midfielder.

"To play against? Yes, it would be Paul Merson - to kick [him]," the Argentinian said on Friday.

Spurs will be looking to bounce back from last weekend's defeat by Newcastle (opens in new tab) when they travel to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).